by Lorie Codispoti
“Don’t mess with my pillow!”
I don’t know about you, but my down-feathered cloud of wonder is a critical component to a peaceful nights sleep. To suggest the purchase of a new one conjures up visions of a revolt - feathers uniting & transforming into sword wielding ninjas. To ruffle these guys could be fatal.
Middle eastern shepherds of old were not only nomadic (following the food & water supply), but they were nocturnal, as they had to stay alert during the night watches. A peaceful night for a shepherd was a night when their flock was secured, safe from the prowling predators that lurked in the darkness.
“The announcement of Jesus’ birth comes to those who live out under the stars at night with rocks for pillows and hovels for homes.” (Mark Dunn)
Imagine what it must have been like the night all heaven broke loose. An invasion of encircling light & the voice of an unknown being filled the shepherds with fear. They must have wondered what kind of predator this was & how they would fight it with the weapons they had.
After the angel calms their fears & announces the incarnation of Christ, things get really loud. Luke 2:14 records the sky being filled with a “multitude of heavenly host praising God & saying, Glory to God in the highest, & on earth PEACE, goodwill to men.”
What’s unique about this “peace” is that it’s vastly different from every other kind. (exactly what Jesus said about it in Jn.14:27) A careful look at the peace these angels proclaimed tells us something important: God’s peace is selective. That’s right. The kind of peace announced to this singled-out group of shepherds is reserved for those who will receive Jesus as their Savior & surrender their lives to His Lordship. It is not available to unbelievers.
Christians have something in common with these shepherds. We are among the marginalized & many times persecuted by the world around us. Our circumstances are anything but peaceful, yet God has given us a peace that has the power to “guard our hearts & minds” (Phil.4:7), no matter what circumstance we find ourselves walking through.
And there’s more.
Jesus didn’t come promising world peace. The Prince of Peace, the One who came to reconcile us to Himself, came to pick a fight with the Prince of Darkness, the one whole stole humanity’s heart & mind through sin.
A cushy pillow may be a prerequisite for a restful night’s sleep, but that kind of peace is as temporary as the homes we live in.
(Jesus, like the shepherds, was basically homeless. He referenced his condition in Lk.9:58 when He said, “Foxes have holes & birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”)
God didn’t give us a pillow, kiss us goodnight & tell us to sweet dream our lives away. He gave us a pair of thick soled shoes for an arduous journey that will lead us to the forever home He’s preparing. (“…as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Eph.6:15)
The peace shoes we’ve been given for this trek aren't for running after the absence-of-conflict kind of peace we waste time chasing. This is a "guard" - a sentinel commissioned as part of the armor given to us to take the “good news” of the Gospel to a lost & dying world. And, like the shepherds in the field that night, Peace is awake & alert, standing ready at a moments notice to charge any predator that attempts to breach His protective barrier. The great Shepherd assures us that, with His peace, no adversary is strong enough to sneak past His watchful eye & remove us from His presence.
“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” (Heb.4:9-10)
Put your shoes on & follow the Shepherd of your soul all the way home. I hear that the pillows there provide a peaceful rest like nothing we’ve ever known.
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